Middleboro's Sean Newcomb drafted No. 15 by Los Angeles Angels

The University of Hartford junior left-handed pitcher is only the third player in the history of the America East Conference to be selected in the opening round of the Major League Baseball Draft.

Jim Fenton The Enterprise @JFenton_ent

The strong endorsement came from former major league infielder Harold Reynolds.

Moments after Sean Newcomb of Middleboro became the 15th player chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft by the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, Reynolds delivered high praise about the left-handed pitcher to a national cable television audience.

“I think he’s the first guy in the draft to the big leagues,’’ said Reynolds during the MLB Network’s telecast of the selection process. “If you want to get a lefty to get a big leaguer out, I think this is the guy.’’

Time will tell if Reynolds’ prediction comes true, but for now, Newcomb is riding high as a first-round draft choice after three seasons at the University of Hartford.

After having his freshman season halted early because of a muscle strain, Newcomb developed into a top-flight prospect the past two years and had scouts following his every move on the mound this spring.

Newcomb was the America East and New England pitcher of the year, going 8-2 with a 1.25 earned run average and 106 strikeouts in 931/3 innings for Hartford.

A former Enterprise player of the year and three-sport All-Scholastic before graduating from Middleboro High School in 2011, Newcomb raised his stock by consistently throwing in the 90s and using a variety of pitches.

The 6-foot-5 Newcomb, who watched the draft at home in Middleboro, did not respond to an interview request following his selection by the Angels.

Newcomb, who turns 21 next week, joins Glenn Tufts of Bridgewater and Greg McMurtry of Brockton as area baseball players picked in the first round.

Tufts was taken No. 5 by the Cleveland Indians in 1973 while McMurtry, who instead played football at Michigan, went to the Red Sox at No. 14 in 1986.

Newcomb is the third pitcher from Middleboro to be drafted in the last 11 years, following Kevin Brower, taken in the 33rd round in 2004 by the Detroit Tigers, and Tom Thornton, selected in the 21st round in 2006 by the Tigers.

As a first-round pick, Newcomb will likely be signing for around $2.5 million, which is the Angels’ pre-determined allotment. A year ago, Braden Shipley, the No. 15 pick, received $2.25 million from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Newcomb got better as his junior season progressed and he capped it off with a 14-strikeout performance against Binghamton in the America East tournament, his final collegiate start.

“With Sean, I knew every single day that he came out that if we put two or three runs on the board, we were winning that game,’’ said Hartford freshman third baseman David MacKinnon of Easton. “No matter if he felt good, he didn’t feel good, he still battled through everything.

“He might walk a couple, his command might not be there, but he still found a way to put zeroes on the board and you knew that.’’

Newcomb is the highest draft pick in baseball ever at Hartford, surpassing Jeff Bagwell, who was taken in the fourth round by the Red Sox in 1989.

Bagwell was later traded to the Houston Astros for Larry Andersen in what turned out to be a lopsided deal that went against the Red Sox.

There was plenty of pressure on Newcomb this season with all the attention, but he came through to help Hartford compile its highest win total ever with 31 victories.

“It’s a smaller campus, it’s a smaller program, and this guy is 6-5, 240 pounds, going to be a first-round draft pick,’’ said Hartford coach Justin Blood last week. “He could have very easily walked around here and felt pretty highly about himself.

“He just didn’t do that. He was a team-first guy. I thought he did an unbelievable job of keeping the blinders on and remaining focused on the task at hand.

“He was really all about winning. He knew if he put us in a position to win, that he was going to have good numbers and it would probably lead to a great season, not only for us but for him.’’

That is exactly how things played out and now Sean Newcomb is a first-round draft pick and a member of the Los Angeles Angels organization.

Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.

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